Thread-counting apparatus



Dec. 24, 1929. A. CHRONIK ET AL THREAD COUNTING APPARATUS Filed July 26, 1928 a. 16 4, XINVEA TOIES fly A TTURNEY Patented Dec. 24, 1929 "rates AUGUST CHRONIK AND LOUIS CHRONIK, 05 NEW YORK, N. Y.

THREAD-COUNTING APPARATUS Application filed July 26,

The present invention relates to improvements in thr ad counting devices, and more particularly to that type which is described in U. S. Letters Patent No. 970,795, granted to us on Sept. 20, 1910. The thread counting apparatus described in the said patent comprises a supporting frame adapted to rest flat on the fabric to be examined and having an aperture, through which the threads of said fabric can be counted, in com bination with a microscope slidable on said frame parallel to the plane of the fabric and having attached thereto a pointer, the latter being adapted to co-operate with a scale. In using the said device, the fabric to be examined is placed upon a table and the instrument put on the fabric in such a manner that the threads to be counted are located sub stantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the scale. The microscope and the pointer are then brought to the starting point of the scale. By shifting the microscope and pointer along the scale the threads may be counted within the limits of the scale. It is J obvious that in order to take a re 381 count the starting point of the scale should coincide either with the longitudinal axis of a thread of the fabric or with an interstice between two adjoining threads. In order to bring the scale to such positions, obviously the device, as a whole, must be shifted on the fabric. In asmuch as these devices are rather heavy and of substantial size, they, obviously, cannot be readily shifted into the proper position, particularly not on fabrics which have very fine threads.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a tnread counting apparatus having a shiftable scale, in combination with means which permits the starting point of the said scale to be readily brought to any desired position in relation to the fabric, the threads of which are to be counter With these and other objects in view, which will more fully appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the combination, arrangement and construction of parts hereinafter described, pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it

1928. Serial No. 295,454.

being understood that many changes may be made in the size and proportion of the several parts and details of construction within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

One of the many possible embodiments of h invention is illustrated in the accompanydiawings, in which 1- E gure 1 is a perspective view of the improved apparatus; Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken through the mechanism for shifting the scale thereof: and Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

In the drawings, the numeral 10 denotes the supports of the apparatus, the same being substantially U-shaped in configuration and connected by tie-rods 11. A fiat member 12, the ends of which are bent upwardly as shown at 13, is secured to the said U-shaped members by means of screw bolts let, or otherwise. To the front portions of the U-shaped members is furthermore secured a bar 15. Between this bar and the fiat member 12 is thus formed an open space or aperture 16, so that, in placing the instrument upon a piece of fabric, the latter will be spread, whereby its surface may be examined without difficulty through the said aperture.

In counting the threads of a piece of fabric, usually the number of threads contained in a certain length thereof, to be taken in a unit, is to be ascertained. The unit of length may be selected according to the requirements.

For instance in the United States one English inch or a fraction of the same is taken as a unit, which fraction may be a subdivision of the inch according to the duodecimal system or according to the decimal system. In European countries, or sometimes even in the United States. the length may be the unit f the metric system, that the con-- timeter. In order to have these three systems in one device, a triangular scale 17 is rotatably mounted upon spindles 18 and 18, which are slidably arranged in the frame members 10, as clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. This triangular scale is mounted between the flat member 12 and the bar 15, so that its graduations and the fabric can be easily viewed through a microscope hereinafter described. The three faces of the triangular scale are differently graduated, each according to one of the systems above referred to. The misroscope 19 may be of any suitable construction, it being mounted upon a frame 19 which is shiftable on the tie-rods 11 in the direction of the longitudinal axes of the latter in a plane parallel to the plane of the fabric. The shifting means comprises a screw-threaded spindle 20, which is rotatably mounted in the U-shaped frame members 10 and is provided with an operating means, in the form of a knob 21. The connection between the screw-threaded spindle 20 and the misroscope is made by a lever 22, fulcrumed at 23 to the microscope frame and co-operating with a spring-pressed segmental nut,as clearly described in U. S. Letters Patent N 0. 970,795, above referred to. The microscope frame is provided with an extension 24, to which is secured a pointer 25, the point of which is arranged in the longitudinal axis of the microscope and close to the triangular scale. This pointer travels with the microscope and marks upon the fabric always the longitudinal axis of the microscope, whereby errors in counting are avoided.

The means for shifting the scale in the direction of its longitudinal axis upon the frame of the device comprises a shaft 26, rotatably mounted in a bearing 27, which is attached to one of the frame members 10, the said shaft having fixed to it a cam 28, bearing against the spindle 18. Against the spindle 18 bears a leaf spring 29, fixed to that frame member 10 through which the spindle 18 extends. The shaft 26 is provided with a milled knob 30, for operating the same. The function of the spring 29 is to force the spindle 18 continuously against the cam 28.

The operation of the device is as follows: The fabric to be examined is placed upon a support, such as a table, and the instrument placed upon the fabric in such a manner that the threads to be counted are disposed substantially at right angles to the scale of the device. The scale which it is desired to take as a unit is then turned to proper position. The draw-tube of the microscope is now operated to focus the fabric. The operator then turns the shaft 26 in one or the other direction, thereby shifting the scale in the direction of its longitudinal axis until the start ing point of the scale is brought to coincide with either the center line of a thread of the fabric or with an interstice between two threads. The microscope and the pointer 00- operating therewith are then brought to the starting point of the scale and the threads are then counted in the manner described in U. S. Letters Patent No. 970,795, above referred to.

What we claim is:

1. An instrument for counting threads of fabrics comprising a supporting frame adapted to rest flat on the fabric and having an aperture through which the threads of the fabric may be counted, a microscope carried by said frame and adapted to move in a plane parallel to the plane of the fabric, a pointer secured to and moving with said microscope, a scale for cooperating with said pointer mounted upon said frame adjoining said aperture, said scale being adapted to be shifted on said frame in the direction of its longitudinal axis, and means upon said frame for imparting longitudinal movement to said scale.

2. In an instrument for counting threads of fabrics according to claim 1, said scale being rotatably mounted upon said frame.

8. An instrument for counting threads of fabrics comprising a supporting frame adapted to rest flat on the fabric and having an aperture through which the threads of the fabric may be counted, a microscope carried by said frame and adapted to move in a plane parallel to the plane of the fabric, a pointer secured to and moving with said microscope, two spindles shiftably mounted upon said frame in the direction of their longitudinal axes in the direction of movement of the microscope, a scale rotatably mounted upon said spindles adjoining said aperture, a shaft rotatable on said frame, a cam fixed to said shaft bearing against one of said spindles for moving the latter longitudinally upon said frame, and a spring bearing against the other one of said spindles to cause the spindle cooperating with said cam to continuously bear against the latter.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York, and State of New York, this 25th day of June, A. D. 1926.

AUGUST CHRQNIK. LOUIS CHRONIK. 

